Workers' Compensation News

A home and farm supply center in Jeffersonville, Indiana, is facing proposed fines of $14,000 after state safety inspectors allegedly found elevated carbon monoxide levels at the facility due to emissions from improperly maintained forklifts.
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A bill has been delivered to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to require workers’ compensation insurers to notify policyholders at least 30 days before their renewal dates if their premiums are slated to increase by more than 10%.
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A Los Angeles judge on Thursday denied a request to block the California Division of Workers' Compensation interpretation of billing rules for qualified medical evaluators, ruling that the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board has exclusive jurisdiction over accusations that the divisi...Read More

The California Division of Workers’ Compensation posted an order adjusting the physicians section of the Official Medical Fee Schedule to incorporate changes made by Medicare for 2018.
The order, among other things, incorporates the 1.4% increase in the Medicare Economic Index, whic...Read More

The Governing Committee for the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau will discuss results from a review of earthquake exposure and plans for studies to perform in 2018 when it meets Wednesday in Oakland.
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Today's Round Up

12/14/2017 |
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Claims administration services will need to score better in 2018 than they did this year to pass the initial stage of annual audits and avoid a more stringent review of claim files.
The Division of Workers’ Compensation said the Profile Audit Review performance standard for 2018 will be 1.47573, down from the PAR standard of 1.47885 in 2017.
Claims administrators that receive a score equal to or less than the standard set by the division will be required to pay any outstanding compensation but will not face administrative penalties. Shops that score higher will be subject to .
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12/14/2017 |
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The rate of occupational injuries and illnesses dropped 14.3% from 2015 to 2016, the Utah Labor Commission’s Occupational Safety and Health Division announced.
The agency said the overall combined incidence rate in the public and private sectors fell to three injuries or illnesses per 100 workers in 2016, from 3.5 in 2015.
Private sector employees drove most of the decrease. The occupational injury rate among them fell to 2.9%, from 3.5% in 2015.
The decrease was smaller in the public sector, where the incidence rate fell to 3.6%, from 3.8% in 2015.
The Occupational Safety .
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12/14/2017 |
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Despite their best efforts to uncover the root causes, officials in Montana are unable to explain the state’s high workplace injury rate, according to a report by the Billings Gazette.
The occupational injury and illness rate in 2016 dropped to 4.2 per 100 workers, from 4.3 in 2015. But the state still ranks behind only Washington, Vermont and Maine.
Eric Strauss, administrator for the Employment Relations Division of the Department of Labor and Industry, said the agency has tried to determine whether there is something driving the higher rate of injuries in Montana, to no avail.
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12/14/2017 |
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday appointed Cameron Smith as the director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, the parent agency of the Workers' Compensation Division and Board.
Cameron Smith
If confirmed by the Senate, Smith will replace Patrick Allen, who left DCBS in August to become the director of the Oregon Health Authority.
Smith is now director of the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs, a position he has held since 2013. From 2009 to 2013, Smith served as senior policy adviser to Govs. John Kitzhaber and Ted Kulongoski, managing a portfoli.
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12/13/2017 |
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Erie Insurance has promoted Dionne Wallace Oakley to executive vice president of human resources and strategy, the carrier said in a press release.
Dionne Wallace Oakley
Wallace Oakley’s role will expand to include oversight of “several strategic functions,” the carrier said.
Wallace Oakley joined Erie Insurance in 2011 as vice president of human resources business partners, following a 22-year career at State Farm where her responsibilities included commercial lines service, personal lines underwriting, auto claims, corporate public affairs, agent recruiting and human r.
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